What is love? It’s defined in many ways for different people. For one it may mean diamonds, flowers or cash. To another, it’s a reason to give oneself to another. For those who have experienced real lover, it’s none of that but so much more.In my teenage years, I witnessed all the drama of young love gone bad. Some of those would put your One Tree Hills and 90210s to shame. Fight in the hallways filled my young ears with obscenities and declaration such as, “He doesn’t want you.” This confident statement made by the present girlfriend. Generally countered by, “Well he did last night,” by the girlfriend on deck or the object of the boyfriends discretion, so to speak. All the while, what I notice is the boyfriend and his entourage, who standby and are apparently quite amused by the whole ordeal. After the big crowd pleasing breakup, I ask myself, where is the love?
Through early adult life, I realized it didn’t get any better. Even as young adults, people still made fools of themselves in the name of love, and military men and woman is no exception. Let’s take…we’ll call him John, for example. John is a good man. He loves his wife, comes home every night faithfully and serves his country with all the honor and dedication he can muster. Much like his marriage. He gives his wife the world and then some. He encourages her to get in touch with herself, go out and find a hobby to fill up her time when he’s away. Does she return his love? Not exactly. She did decide to take his advice. She found he hobby and its name was Jane. After spending a month in the field, John returns home to find his beloved and her new hobby intertwined in the center of his living room floor. Again, I had to ask myself, where’s the love?
Now a little older, definitely a little wiser, I’ve seen couples around me come and go, as my own relationship has outlast them all. The definition of love is still a quandary for some. The focus of what love is remains lost for most. Some say love is blind. I say love’s eyesight is twenty-twenty. It is the person who possesses a clouded perception of love and refuses to see it, who should try on the magnified glasses. Strip away all of the gifts, trips, money and yes, sex and see what remains. To know love and be loved is the most wonderful gift in the world. It doesn’t come gift wrapped. It can’t be summed up in monetary value. To experience love, you must have the ability to love. A favorite quote of mine expresses it perfectly. “Love isn’t an emotion, it’s an ability.” After all is said and done, true, unadulterated love will always stand on it’s own, shining for all to see.